Ulrich filed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and claimed that all of her injuries were caused by the defective and unreasonably dangerous Stryker hip implant she received in 2009.

Stryker LFit V40 Recall

A Stryker LFit v40 hip recall was announced in 2016 by the manufacturer, involving certain large-diameter femoral heads sold before 2011. Stryker announced the recall after many reports of taper lock failures with the cobalt-chromium femoral heads, which can cause spontaneous dislocations and metallosis complications.

At that time, Stryker acknowledged that a higher-then-expected number of patients were experiencing problems with trunnion failure, metal wear, adverse tissue reactions and other complications.

This metal head is an interchangeable “ball” component for total hip replacements that can be connected to several Stryker metal hip stems, including the Accolade TMZF, Accolade 2, Meridian, and Citation models.

Stryker recalled over 42,500 metal hip implants because a metal part that connects the hip to the femur can develop severe metal corrosion, loosen, and dislocate, a side effect known as “taper lock failure” that always needs painful revision surgery.

What is Taper Lock Failure?

The LFIT V40 is designed to lock onto a femoral hip stem with a metal part called a trunnion. This trunnion interfaces with a metal-on-metal connection that may corrode and snap within a few years, causing catastrophic hip failure or spontaneous hip dislocation. Trunnionosis is defined as wear of the femoral head–neck interface and has recently been acknowledged as a growing cause of total hip arthroplasty failure.

What is Metal Corrosion?

Since the metal hip implants are made from dissimilar metal alloys, metal corrosion like rust could be a devastating problem with metal hip implants. Metal debris in the hip joint causes pain, local inflammation leading to soft-tissue growths called pseudotumors, and get into the bloodstream causing metallosis or metal poisoning with cobalt and chromium.

Stryker LFit V40 Lawsuits

Ulrich’s lawsuit joins a number of other product liability lawsuits filed recently by those who have suffered severe complications due to Stryker Accolade and LFit V40 hip components.

All federally-filed Stryker LFit V40 hip lawsuits are consolidated in April before U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has recently designated all cases involving Stryker LFit Cobalt Chromium V40 Femoral Heads as part of a multicounty litigation (MCL), which will be centralized before Superior Court Judge Rachelle Harz in Bergen County. Howmedica Osteonics Corp., and its subsidiary Stryker Orthopaedics, re headquartered in New Jersey.

Injured by a failed Stryker Metal Hip?

If you think you may have a Stryker V40 Head or a Stryker Accolade TMZF stem and are experiencing pain caused by metal corrosion or have suffered a spontaneous dissociation requiring full revision and emergency care, please call Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm at 888-210-9693.

The Legal Examiner offers both bloggers and readers the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions on all things law. From news on current legislative efforts to practical guidance on everyday legal issues, The Legal Examiner will have it covered. Learn More